“Falcon” [ft. Raury]

In an interview with Zane Lowe, Jaden Smith said that he and the Atlanta rapper Raury share the same vision for the future of music. Listening to their new song “Falcon,” it’s hard to imagine what exactly that future looks or sounds like. Part electronic, part acoustic, half conscious, half bombast, “Falcon” is a madcap jumble of ideas that thrives on sheer ambition. As the beat shifts constantly—first growing more skittish then more expansive, before eventually becoming a different song entirely—they ramble on confusingly about their opaque worldview. Jaden has always had trouble sorting out what exactly he wants his songs to say and do, and many Raury songs have similar problems. In tandem, their issue compound, and there are plenty of vague attempts at profundity: “When kingdom comes, it all falls down,” Raury sings. But they also bring out the best in each other: a willingness to explore their deepest thoughts and impulses. Few would even attempt a song this manic, much less combine that with their meandering musings on wokeness, revolution, and being outsiders. The talent is obviously there, but they’re both pressing too much, too eager to prove they’re radicals. They are two young artists trying to do everything at once, scatterbrained and well-meaning.